Recipe

Smoked Pumpkin Seed Saison

(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.071  FG = 1.020
IBU = 24  SRM = 15  ABV = 6.6%

Ingredients
11.5 lbs. (5.2 kg) 2-row pale malt
0.5 lb. (0.23 kg) wheat malt
0.5 lb. (0.23 kg) crystal malt
0.5 lb. (0.23 kg) biscuit malt
1.0 lb. (0.45 kg) brown sugar
3.0 lbs. (1.4 kg) smoked pumpkin and seeds
1.0 lb. (0.45 kg) rice hulls
3.5 AAU Styrian Goldings hops (60 min.) (0.7 oz./19 g of 5% alpha acids)
2.5 AAU Saaz hops (20 min.) (0.63 oz./18 g of 4% alpha acids)
4 cloves (10 min.)
5 cinnamon sticks (10 min.)
4 nutmeg (cracked) (10 min.)
1 tsp. Irish moss (15 min.)
White Labs WLP566 (Platinum Belgian Saison II) yeast
(3 qt./3 L yeast starter)

Step by Step
Smoke pumpkin chunks at 250–300 °F (121–149 °C) until soft (about 3 hours). As an option, you can roast the pumpkin seeds separately on a cookie sheet in a 325 °F (162 °C) oven until browned (about 15 minutes). Mash grains, smoked pumpkin chunks and seeds at 153 °F (67 °C) in 4.5 gallons (17 L) of water for 60 mins.  Lauter slowly to prevent stuck mash. Boil wort for 60 minutes, adding hops and spices at times indicated. Ferment at 68 °F (20 °C). Rack to secondary at 14 days.

Partial mash option: 
Decrease amount of 2-row pale malt to 2.5 lbs. (1.1 kg). Add 1.0 lb.
(0.45 kg) light dried malt extract and 5.0 lbs. (2.3 kg) light liquid malt extract. See all-grain recipe for how to process pumpkin and seeds. Add 6.7 qts. (6.2 L) of 164 °F (73 °C) water to a 5-gallon (19-L) beverage cooler (Gott or Rubbermaid, the kind they use on the sidelines of sporting events.) Place crushed grains and pumpkin solids in a (very) large nylon steeping bag. Submerge bag, stirring constantly, then add additional hot water, if needed, until grains and pumpkin pieces are just submerged. Mash at 153 °F (67 °C) for 60 minutes. Recirculate by drawing off about 2 cups and adding it to top of grain bed. Repeat until you’ve recirculated about 4 or 5 qts. (~4–5 L). Run off wort by collecting about 2 cups of wort, then adding that same volume of sparge water — at 170 °F (77 °C) — to the top of the grain bed. Collect about 2.75 gallons (10 L) of wort. Add dried malt extract and water to make 3.0 gallons (11 L). Boil wort for 60 minutes, adding hops and spices at times indicated. Add liquid malt extract in the final 15 minutes of the boil. Cool wort and top up to 5 gallons (19 L). Aerate and pitch yeast. Ferment at 68 °F (20 °C).

Issue: October 2012

Pumpkin spice ales and lagers are the most common styles of this gourd-like brew, but the saison style has some peppery spice undertones I thought might balance well.